Keyword Density Checker
Analyze keyword frequency and density in your content
Ideal Density
Target keyword: 1-3%
Avoid keyword stuffing (>5%)
Free Keyword Density Checker - Optimize Your Content for SEO
Welcome to DevToolVault's free keyword density checker, an essential tool for content writers and SEO professionals. Analyze your content's keyword distribution, identify over-optimization issues, and ensure natural writing patterns—all processed locally in your browser for complete privacy.
Understanding Keyword Density in Modern SEO
Keyword density was once a primary ranking factor, but search engines have evolved. Today, Google uses semantic understanding to evaluate content relevance. However, keyword density still serves as a useful sanity check—extremely high density suggests keyword stuffing, while very low density may indicate insufficient topic focus.
How to Use This Keyword Density Tool
Paste your content into the text area and click "Analyze Keywords." The tool extracts all words (filtering out those under 3 characters), counts occurrences, and calculates density as a percentage of total words. Results show your top 20 most frequent words, helping you identify dominant themes and potential over-optimization.
Interpreting Your Results
- 1-3% Density: Ideal range for target keywords—signals relevance without over-optimization
- Under 1%: Keyword may not be prominent enough—consider adding natural mentions
- 3-5% Density: Borderline—ensure content reads naturally to humans
- Over 5% Density: Risk of keyword stuffing—reduce repetition, use synonyms
Beyond Simple Density: Topic Modeling
Modern SEO emphasizes semantic relevance over exact keyword matching. Use density analysis as a starting point, then ensure comprehensive topic coverage with related terms, synonyms, and questions your audience asks. Tools analyzing your content against top-ranking competitors (like Surfer or Clearscope) provide deeper insights than density alone.
Privacy-First Content Analysis
DevToolVault's keyword density checker processes everything locally in your browser. Your content never leaves your device—perfect for analyzing confidential business content, unpublished articles, or client work without privacy concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is keyword density and why does it matter?
Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword appears compared to total words. While search engines no longer rely heavily on exact matches, maintaining natural keyword density (1-3%) helps signal relevance without triggering over-optimization penalties.
What is the ideal keyword density for SEO?
Target 1-3% for primary keywords, with no hard rule. More important is natural writing that satisfies user intent. If your content reads awkwardly due to keyword repetition, you've likely over-optimized. Focus on semantic relevance and topic coverage.
What is keyword stuffing and how do I avoid it?
Keyword stuffing is excessive, unnatural keyword repetition to manipulate rankings. Google penalizes this. Signs include: density over 5%, awkward phrasing, keywords in hidden text, or repetitive lists. Write for humans first, optimize second.
Should I focus on single words or phrases?
Both matter! Single high-frequency words show topic focus, while phrase analysis (2-3 word combinations) reveals long-tail keyword opportunities and helps ensure natural language patterns. Check both for comprehensive optimization.
How do LSI keywords relate to keyword density?
LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are semantically related terms. Modern SEO favors topic coverage over exact keyword repetition. Use variations, synonyms, and related concepts naturally throughout your content for better topical authority.
Does keyword position matter more than density?
Yes! Keywords in titles, H1s, first paragraphs, and meta descriptions carry more weight than those buried in body text. Strategic placement is often more important than hitting a specific density percentage.
Is my content secure when analyzing?
Yes! All analysis happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your content never leaves your device—no server uploads, no logs, no tracking. Safe for analyzing confidential or unpublished content.
How often should I check keyword density?
Check during content creation and before publishing. For existing content, analyze during periodic content audits or when updating articles. Don't obsess over exact percentages—use it as a sanity check, not a rigid target.
Related SEO Tools: Try our Meta Tag Generator, Backlink Checker, and Sitemap Generator for more SEO optimization tools.